JPH09202129A - Air conditioner for automobile - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an air conditioner for automobile of dual type capable of stable heating operation even when the outside air temperature is low, inexpensive, and excellent in reliability. SOLUTION: A second air conditioning system to condition the sucked inner air and feed it to a second compartment is provided with a second refrigerant line C2 which introduces and circulates the refrigerant discharged from a compressor 2 into a second evaporator 7 to which a second condenser 9 is connected in series around a first condenser 3 during the heating operation, and a third refrigerant line C3 to introduce and circulate the refrigerant in a third evaporator 8 through a first condenser 3 during the cooling operation.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a dual-type automotive air conditioner provided with an independent air conditioner system.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Recently, a so-called one-box car such as a luxury car or a wagon car has been equipped with a dual-type vehicle air conditioner provided with an independent air conditioning system.

This type of vehicle air conditioner includes, for example, a first air conditioning system for air conditioning the inside / outside air selectively taken in for the front seat and an inside air taken in for the rear seat. A second air conditioning system in harmony. The first air conditioning system and the second air conditioning system each have a heater core that uses hot water (engine cooling water) supplied from the engine as a heat source for raising the temperature of air conditioning.

[0004]

Therefore, when the outside air temperature in the winter is low, the heat quantity of the engine cooling water may be insufficient and the heating performance of the heater core may be insufficient. For example, lean burn combustion (lean burn) may occur. In the case of the engine type, the amount of heat of the cooling water of the engine that can be used is small from the beginning, which may cause a problem.

The present invention has been made in view of the above problems of the prior art, and is an inexpensive and highly reliable dual type that can perform stable heating operation even when the outside air temperature is low. An object is to provide an air conditioner for an automobile.

[0006]

The present invention for achieving the above object is constructed as follows for each claim.

According to the present invention, the first air conditioning system for air-conditioning the selectively taken in / outside air to supply it to the first compartment, and the first air conditioning system for air-conditioning the taken-in air. In a vehicle air conditioner having a second air conditioning system that supplies two compartments, in the first air conditioning system, a first evaporator having an expansion valve and a heater core are provided from an upstream side in a first air passage. A first refrigerant line, which is arranged in order, introduces the refrigerant discharged from the compressor into the first evaporator via the first condenser to circulate the refrigerant during cooling operation, and introduces engine cooling water into the heater core. In the second air conditioning system, a second evaporator having an expansion valve and a second condenser are sequentially arranged from the upstream side in the second air passage. Is, the refrigerant discharged from the compressor, during heating operation, a second refrigerant line for circulating said bypassing said first condenser second capacitor is introduced into the second evaporator connected in series.

According to the invention thus specified, the second air conditioning system can use the refrigerant discharged from the compressor as a heat source for raising the temperature of the air conditioning during the heating operation. Further, since the second refrigerant line is exclusively used for heating, it is easy to control.

According to a second aspect of the present invention, in the vehicle air conditioner according to the first aspect, the second air conditioning system is provided with a third evaporator having an expansion valve, and the inside air is taken in. A third air passage for air-conditioning and supplying the second compartment to the second compartment, and a refrigerant discharged from the compressor are introduced into the third evaporator via the first condenser and circulated during the cooling operation. And a refrigerant line.

In the invention thus specified, the second air conditioning system can use the refrigerant discharged from the compressor as a heat source for air conditioning cooling during the cooling operation. Further, since the third refrigerant line is exclusively used for cooling, it is easy to control.

According to a third aspect of the present invention, in the vehicle air conditioner according to the first or second aspect, the refrigerant accumulated in the first condenser is sucked into the compressor at least during heating operation. It is characterized by having a refrigerant recovery line for returning to.

According to the invention thus specified, it is possible to reduce the refrigerant accumulated in the first condenser.

According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, in the automobile air conditioner according to the third aspect, the second refrigerant line and the refrigerant recovery line are provided in the middle of piping between the compressor and the first condenser. Has a flow path switching means connected to, by the flow path switching means, during cooling operation,
Connecting the compressor and the first condenser,
During the heating operation, the compressor and the second condenser are communicated with each other, while the first condenser and the refrigerant recovery line are communicated with each other.

According to the invention thus specified, when the operating conditions are changed, the refrigerant flow passages can be switched by the single flow passage switching means, so that the control is easy.

[0015]

BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.

FIG. 1 is a schematic configuration diagram showing an embodiment of an automobile air conditioner according to the present invention, and FIG. 2 is a schematic configuration diagram for explaining a cooling operation of the automobile air conditioner of FIG. FIG. 3 is a schematic configuration diagram for explaining a heating operation of the vehicle air conditioner of FIG. 1, and FIG. 4 is a schematic configuration diagram showing another embodiment of the vehicle air conditioner according to the present invention. . The arrows indicate the circulating directions of the refrigerant and the hot water, the solid line indicates the refrigerant line, and the broken line indicates the hot water line.

The air conditioner for a vehicle according to the present invention includes a first air conditioning system for air conditioning the selectively taken inside and outside air to the front seat, which is the first compartment, and the taken inside air as the air. It has a second air conditioning system that harmoniously supplies the second seat to the rear seats.

In the embodiment shown in FIG. 1, the first air conditioning system has a first refrigerant line C1 and a hot water line H1, and the second air conditioning system has a second refrigerant line C2 and a third refrigerant line. C3 and the refrigerant recovery line C
4 are provided.

First refrigerant line C of the first air conditioning system
1 is provided to introduce the refrigerant discharged from the compressor 2 through the first condenser 3 and the liquid tank 4 into the first evaporator 6 having the expansion valve 13 for circulation during the cooling operation. There is. Hot water line H1
Are provided for introducing and circulating engine cooling water into the heater core 5. The first evaporator 6
The heater core 5 and the heater core 5 are sequentially arranged from the upstream side in the first air passage provided in the lower front portion of the vehicle body. The hot water line H1 is provided with an on-off valve 16 for adjusting the flow rate in the inlet side pipe of the heater core 5.

Second refrigerant line C of the second air conditioning system
The second condenser 9 bypasses the refrigerant discharged from the compressor 2 by bypassing the first condenser 3 during the heating operation.
Are provided for introduction and circulation in the second evaporator 7 which is connected in series and is provided with the expansion valve 14. The second refrigerant line C2 is a three-way connector 20 provided in the middle of the piping between the first evaporator 6 and the compressor 2.
Through the first refrigerant line C1.

The second evaporator 7 and the second condenser 9 are sequentially arranged from the upstream side in the second air passage provided in the lower rear portion of the vehicle body. A liquid tank 10 is provided in the middle of the pipe between the second condenser 9 and the expansion valve 14 of the second evaporator 7.

Third refrigerant line C of the second air conditioning system
3 is provided to introduce the refrigerant discharged from the compressor 2 into the third evaporator 8 having the expansion valve 15 and circulate the refrigerant through the first condenser 3 during the cooling operation. The third refrigerant line C3 includes a three-way connector 18 provided in the middle of piping between the liquid tank 4 connected to the first condenser 3 and the expansion valve 13 of the first evaporator 6, the compressor 2, and the first evaporator. It is configured to be separated in parallel from the first refrigerant line C1 via a three-way connector 21 provided in the middle of the pipe with the first refrigerant line 6.

The third evaporator 8 is arranged in a third air passage provided on the ceiling of the vehicle body. Also, 3
A solenoid valve 12 is provided in the middle of the piping between the one-way connector 18 and the expansion valve 15 of the third evaporator 8.

Therefore, the second air conditioning system uses the refrigerant discharged from the compressor as the heat source for raising the temperature of the air conditioning during the heating operation, and uses the refrigerant discharged from the compressor during the heating operation as the air source. It can be used as a heat source for harmonic cooling. Therefore, even in the winter when the outside air temperature is low and the amount of heat that can be used for engine cooling water is low, the possibility of insufficient heating performance is reduced, and stable heating operation is enabled. further,
Since it has a dedicated refrigerant circulation line corresponding to the operating conditions, it is easy to control and the number of control parts can be reduced. Therefore, the device is inexpensive and has excellent system reliability.

The refrigerant recovery line C4 is provided to return the refrigerant accumulated in the first condenser 3 to the suction side of the compressor 2 at least during the heating operation. The refrigerant recovery line C4 is provided with a solenoid valve 17 in the middle of the pipe, and is also connected via the three-way connector 19 to the middle of the pipe between the compressor 2 and the second evaporator 7.

Therefore, since it is possible to reduce the amount of refrigerant accumulated in the first condenser, it is possible to suppress a decrease in heating performance and a decrease in lubricity due to a shortage of the amount of circulating refrigerant during a heating operation, and to perform a stable heating operation. Is possible.

Further, the compressor 2 and the first condenser 3
A four-way valve 11 that is a flow path switching means that connects the second refrigerant line C2 and the refrigerant recovery line C4 is provided in the middle of the pipe.

The four-way valve 11 makes the first refrigerant line C1 and the third refrigerant line C3 function by communicating the compressor 2 and the first condenser 3 during the cooling operation, and the compressor 2 and the second condenser line during the heating operation. It is provided for communicating with 9 and making only the 2nd refrigerant line C2 function. Further, when switching from the cooling operation to the heating operation, the first condenser 3 and the refrigerant recovery line C4 are provided so as to communicate with each other.

That is, when the operating conditions are changed, the refrigerant flow passage can be switched by the single flow passage switching means, so that the control is easy. Therefore, the number of control parts can be reduced, and the device is inexpensive and has excellent system reliability.

Next, the flow of refrigerant and hot water (engine cooling water) during the cooling operation will be described with reference to FIG.

Regarding the refrigerant, the four-way valve 11 connects the compressor 2 and the first condenser 3 and the solenoid valve 12 of the third refrigerant line C3 is set to open so that the first refrigerant line C1 and the third refrigerant line C3. To function. The second refrigerant line C2 and the refrigerant recovery line C4 in which the refrigerant does not circulate are indicated by the one-dot chain line.

That is, the refrigerant compressed by the compressor 2 passes through the four-way valve 11 and is introduced into the first condenser 3,
The refrigerant, which is a high-pressure gas, exchanges heat with the outside air by condensing and releasing heat. The refrigerant that has passed through the liquid tank 4 is branched by the three-way connector 18, a part of which is introduced into a third refrigerant line C3 described later, and the rest is throttled by the expansion valve 13 and evaporated by the first evaporator 6. By absorbing heat, heat is exchanged and the passing air is cooled. Then, via the three-way connector 21, it merges with a refrigerant from a third refrigerant line C3, which will be described later, and is introduced again into the compressor 2 and circulated.

The refrigerant branched by the three-way connector 18 and introduced into the third refrigerant line C3 passes through the solenoid valve 12, is throttled by the expansion valve 15, evaporated by the third evaporator 8 and absorbs heat, thereby exchanging heat. To cool the air passing through. Then, via the three-way connector 21, the above-mentioned first
It merges with the refrigerant from the refrigerant line C1 and is introduced again into the compressor 2 and circulated.

On the other hand, for hot water, the open / close valve 16 is set to open, and the hot water line H1 is functioning.

As a result, in the first air passage for the front seat, the air selectively taken from the inside and outside air is cooled by the first evaporator 6 to be dehumidified, heated by the heater core 5 and passed through the heater core 5. It is mixed with cold air that has not been processed, air-conditioned to the target warm air temperature, and blown out into the passenger compartment.

In the third air passage provided on the ceiling of the vehicle body, the internal air taken in by a fan (not shown) passes through the third evaporator 8 and the expansion valve 1
The refrigerant is cooled by exchanging heat with the refrigerant that expands via 5 to reach the target cold air temperature and is blown into the vehicle interior.

Next, the flow of the refrigerant and hot water (engine cooling water) during the heating operation will be described with reference to FIG.

Regarding the refrigerant, the compressor 2 and the second condenser 9 are communicated with each other, the first condenser 3 and the refrigerant recovery line C4 are communicated with each other, and the second refrigerant line C2 and the refrigerant recovery line C4 are made to function. The first refrigerant line C1 and the third refrigerant line C3 in which the refrigerant does not circulate are indicated by the one-dot chain line.

However, the function of the refrigerant recovery line C4 is to function when switching from the cooling operation to the heating operation, for example,
It is a period of about 90 seconds after the heating operation is started, and the refrigerant accumulated in the first condenser 3 is recovered, and the deterioration of the heating performance and the deterioration of the lubricity due to the shortage of the circulating refrigerant amount are suppressed, and the stable heating is performed. Ensure driving. Further, in both the cooling operation and the heating operation, there is less difference in the amount of refrigerant flowing in the refrigerant line, so that it becomes possible to easily manage the amount of refrigerant enclosed.

In the second refrigerant line C2, the compressor 2
The refrigerant compressed by bypasses the first condenser 3, condenses in the second condenser 9 and radiates heat, thereby exchanging heat and raising the temperature of the passing air. The refrigerant that has passed through the liquid tank 10 is throttled by the expansion valve 14 and evaporates and absorbs heat in the second evaporator 7, thereby exchanging heat to cool the passing air and pass through the three-way connector 20 to the compressor 2 Has been reintroduced into the circulation.

On the other hand, for hot water, the on-off valve 16 is set to open and the hot water line H1 is functioning.

That is, the hot water (engine cooling water) supplied from the engine 1 is supplied to the heater core 5 to perform heat exchange to raise the temperature of the passing air, and then is introduced again into the engine 1 and circulated. ing.

As a result, since the first evaporator 6 does not function in the first air passage for the front seat, the air selectively taken in from the inside and outside air is cooled and heated in the heater core 5 without being dehumidified. The mixed air is mixed with the cold air that has not passed through the heater core 5, air-conditioned to the target warm air temperature, and blown out into the passenger compartment.

On the other hand, in the second air passage for the rear seat, the inside air taken in by the fan (not shown) is cooled and dehumidified by exchanging heat with the refrigerant when passing through the second evaporator 7. When passing through the second condenser 9, the temperature is raised by exchanging heat with the refrigerant,
It is mixed with the cold air that has not passed through the condenser 9, air-conditioned to the target warm air temperature, and blown out into the passenger compartment.

The three-way connectors 19, 20, 21 are
The present invention is not limited to the configuration shown in the figure. For example, the three-way connector 19 provided in the middle of piping between the compressor 2 and the three-way connector 20 may be arranged in the middle of piping between the second evaporator and the three-way connector 20. Is also possible. Second
It is also possible to dispose the three-way connector 21 provided in the middle of the piping between the evaporator and the three-way connector 20 in the middle of the piping between the second evaporator and the three-way connector 20.

When the cooling capacity of the first air conditioning system is sufficient, as shown in FIG. 4, the third refrigerant line C3 dedicated to cooling of the second air conditioning system is omitted,
It is also possible to indirectly cool the second compartment by means of the first air conditioning system.

That is, in this case, the three-way connector 18, the solenoid valve 12, the third evaporator 8 provided with the expansion valve 15, and the three-way connector 21 are not necessary, so that the control is easy and the cost is considerably low. It becomes a device.

The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments, but can be variously modified within the scope of the claims.

For example, in the above-described embodiment, the piping of the refrigerant line is shared by using the three-way connector, but in order to increase the independence of the refrigerant lines and facilitate the assembly, the three-way connector is used. It is also possible to reduce the number of connectors. It is also possible to configure a four-way valve by combining a three-way connector and a solenoid valve.

[0050]

As described above, according to the present invention, the following effects can be obtained by the configurations described in the respective claims.

In the first aspect of the invention, the second air conditioning system can use the refrigerant discharged from the compressor as a heat source for raising the temperature of the air conditioning during the heating operation. Therefore, even in the winter when the amount of heat of the cooling water of the engine that can be used is small and the outside air temperature is low, the possibility of insufficient heating performance is reduced, and stable heating operation is possible.

Since the second refrigerant line is dedicated to heating, it is easy to control and the number of control parts can be reduced.
The device is inexpensive and has excellent system reliability.

In the second aspect of the invention, the second air conditioning system can use the refrigerant discharged from the compressor as a heat source for air conditioning cooling during the cooling operation. It enables the cooling operation in. Further, since the third refrigerant line is exclusively used for cooling, it is easy to control and the number of control parts can be reduced. Therefore, the device is inexpensive and has excellent system reliability.

According to the third aspect of the present invention, it is possible to reduce the amount of refrigerant that accumulates in the first condenser. Therefore, during heating operation, there is a decrease in heating performance and a decrease in lubricity due to a shortage of circulating refrigerant. It suppresses and enables stable heating operation.

According to the fourth aspect of the present invention, when the operating conditions are changed, the refrigerant flow passage can be switched by the single flow passage switching means, so that the control is easy and the control parts can be reduced. Therefore, the device is inexpensive and has excellent system reliability.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a schematic configuration diagram showing an embodiment of an automobile air conditioner according to the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a schematic configuration diagram for explaining a cooling operation of the vehicle air conditioner of FIG.

FIG. 3 is a schematic configuration diagram for explaining a heating operation of the vehicle air conditioner of FIG. 1.

FIG. 4 is a schematic configuration diagram showing another embodiment of an automobile air conditioner according to the present invention.

[Explanation of symbols]

 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... Engine, 2 ... Compressor, 3 ... 1st condenser, 5 ... Heater core, 6 ... 1st evaporator, 7 ... 2nd evaporator, 8 ... 3rd evaporator, 9 ... 2nd condenser, 11 ... Four-way valve, 17 ... Electromagnetic Valve, C1 ... First refrigerant line, C2 ... Second refrigerant line, C3 ... Third refrigerant line, C4 ... Refrigerant recovery line, H1 ... Hot water line.

Claims (4)

[Claims] 1. A first air conditioning system for air-conditioning the selectively taken in and outside air to supply to the first compartment, and a second air conditioning system for air-conditioning the taken-in air to the second compartment. In the air conditioning apparatus for a vehicle, the first air conditioning system includes: a first evaporator (6) having an expansion valve (13) and a heater core (5) from an upstream side in the first air passage. The refrigerant discharged from the compressor (2), which is arranged in order, is passed through the first condenser (3) during the cooling operation to the first condenser (3).
A first refrigerant line (C1) introduced into the evaporator (6) for circulation and a hot water line (H1) introduced for circulation of engine cooling water in the heater core (5); and the second air conditioning The system comprises a second evaporator (7) with an expansion valve (14) and a second evaporator (7).
A condenser (9) is arranged in order from the upstream side in the second air passage, and the refrigerant discharged from the compressor (2) bypasses the first condenser (3) during the heating operation and the second refrigerant is discharged. An air conditioner for a vehicle, comprising a second refrigerant line (C2) for introducing and circulating the second evaporator (7) to which a condenser (9) is connected in series. 2. The second air conditioning system, wherein a third evaporator (8) having an expansion valve (15) is arranged, and a third air passage for air-conditioning the taken-in air to supply it to the second compartment. And the refrigerant discharged from the compressor (2) passes through the first condenser (3) during the cooling operation to the third refrigerant.
The vehicle air conditioner according to claim 1, further comprising a third refrigerant line (C3) introduced into the evaporator (8) and circulated. 3. The refrigerant recovery line (C4) for returning the refrigerant accumulated in the first condenser (3) to the suction side of the compressor (2) at least during heating operation. The vehicle air conditioner according to claim 2. 4. The second refrigerant line (C) is provided in the middle of piping between the compressor (2) and the first condenser (3).
2) and the refrigerant recovery line (C4) are connected to each other, and a flow path switching means (11) is provided, and the flow path switching means (11) causes the compressor (2) and the first condenser during a cooling operation. (3) communicates with each other, and during the heating operation, the compressor (2) communicates with the second condenser (9) while the first condenser (3) communicates with the refrigerant recovery line (C4). The air conditioner for automobiles according to claim 3.